Many children today want to take up arts but they are unable to do so because they are not aw-ar-e of various arts forms. Arts are just treated as ‘extra-curricular activities’ and not given too much importance even in schools, says Vineet Kumar Singh of United Arts Society. United Arts Society (UAS) which started early this year, is a group that focuses on the promotion of arts amongst children.

The group has now come up with a system called the Young World forum which, according to them, will provide primary education in various arts forms. The Young World Forum will start with ‘First Touch’. In this, schools which are willing to participate in the Young World Forum will get an introduction to any art form they choose.

Once the session is over, the children may choose to take up the art, if they wish. United Arts Society will then get professionals in that field to teach the children for four months. At the end of four months, the course will culminate in a production, a concert, a work of art...depending on the form the children have chosen.

 Says Archana Yuvakumar of United Arts Society, “We have received tremendous response from all the professionals and art schools we have contacted. In fact, once the course is over, if the children wish to pursue the form, we put them in touch with art centres that teach that particular art form.” The group has already started their programme, first with the NGO Parikrama Foundation and later in smaller communities.

Says Vineet, “This is not only for schools. Any group of children, living in the same apartment or in a particular area, can also approach us and if we have the numbers, we will make them part of the programme as well.” In fact, they have already conducted workshops at the British Council and Hippocampus.

The group is offering art forms ranging from painting and collage-making to radio jockeying and designing. Tai Chi, puppetry, Ikebana, glass painting, skits, street plays, stage designing, contemporary and fusion music, Carnatic music, octopads, Mohan veena, Bharatanatyam or the jive—they have almost everything you can think of on their list.

The group says arts must be promoted and children must be informed that art should be treated professionally. “Children are always told that there are no career prospects in art. They are told it is something that runs merely alongside their education. That’s the problem, arts must be part of the education...and that is what we ultimately hope to achieve”, says Archana, who, like Vineet, happens to be a software engineer! “We weren’t always encouraged to pursue arts and we hope to provide children with opportunities that we ourselves didn’t have. But there is another odd phenomena that we have encountered in dealing with children—those who are forced by their parents to take up an art grow averse to learning it. This is why we encourage the child to choose,” says Vineet.

Contact the group to be part of this programme, to support their other activities or to even be a volunteer.